A Hero's New Beginning
by The Green Seer
Summary: Never thought I would see the day when everything would be over...and I'm not speaking to the good way.  Robotnik has won the war but another one is on its way. I'm going to keep fighting even if they say I can't anymore! Death can't stop me from running!
1. Chapter 1

**Just some short thing that got stuck in my head for a week or so...actually there's a whole story inspired by R0cknR011's own story 'The Fastest Thief Alive'. The things you should know if you read this is that everyone believes Sonic died in a fight with Robotnik which resulted in him conquering Mobius. After finding out what every Mobian thinks, Sonic decides to continue destroying Robotnik's plans but in a different way. **

**In what kind of way, you ask? Read this and find out!**

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><p><strong>A Hero's New Beginning<strong>

Green eyes lingered on the horizon, slowly following the shapes of the buildings rising up in the star filled sky. The blackness of the cold night was illuminated by the blinding lights of the city beneath him, the life pumping on its streets even at such a late hour. Although hell was brought upon them, the people seemed to think that if they continued their normal life everything would go away.

Alas…it wasn't that simple. And he knew the best!

Two months ago, the hero of Mobius, Sonic the Hedgehog died. Robotnik was finally free to spread his evil shadow over the lands and that was exactly what he did while the Freedom Fighters mourned the death of their comrade and last ray of hope.

He glanced at the white stars sparkling on the eternity of the heavens swallowing the lump in his throat caused by remembering about _her_. Her tear streaked face and puffy blue eyes as she embraced the only reminiscence of the hero she loved was a haunting memory that bled profoundly inside him. Nothing could wound him more than her suffering but he couldn't do anything about it either.

The wind was rushing by, fueling his lungs with polluted air coming from the many factories adorning the once proud Mobotropolis. The chill of the night though was refreshing, ruffling his fur through his baggy clothes.

He closed his eyes, unable to watch how the city has changed in seven years nor the memories it triggered. The action however only amplified his emotion and he felt them burst out in any second. His fists clenched and his eyes squinted in anger and sadness.

He breathed deeply in and out calming his boiling hatred and resisting the tears that threatened to fall on his face. He concentrated on something else instead. The cacophony of sounds coming from the streets was getting louder and louder making his ears twitch frenziedly.

Cars sped by in a deadly race swiftly followed by the police. The chase was irrelevant for him and it was all over as they went further in the city and towards the centre where resided his target. He sighed loudly letting out his frustration and a black gloved hand reached to adjust the brown scarf covering his face.

He slowly bent down grabbing the dark green hover board resting beside him. In a graceful leap he was on it and speeding on the high buildings closing the distance between himself and the command centre of the tyrant who took control of his world.

The adrenaline flooded his blood urging him to go faster, to soar higher, to feel the never ending freedom that nobody could take away from him. And for a second he wanted to obey, to follow the little voice of his older self…but he couldn't. He fought back continuing in a way different from his initial style. No flashy spins, no deadly jumps and no excited yells.

_He _took control, zooming through the buildings at a moderate pace, keeping himself hidden in the shadows until his objective filled his vision. He stopped on a nearby veranda putting the hover board down while his green eyes scanned the place. It was like the usual. Just how he remembered from the old days.

The structure was the highest and the largest in the city dominating everything with its imposing construction. Everything was made of metal and concrete with large terraces at every ten floors where the robots stood guards. Half way through the building the design change though. The cold, empty walls were replaced with stylish windows and painted patterns.

The young man narrowed his eyes to slits at the sight feeling the hatred hitting his chest once again but it gradually diminished knowing he was there to trash the place a little bit. Without a second thought he walked on the border of the veranda jumping in between the two buildings and into a dark alley while using his fast reflexes to land safely. His steel padded boots created a resounding noise when touching the pavement but luckily for him there weren't any guards around to hear it.

He proceeded further sneaking around the building, using the darkness of the night as his cover and searching with his eyes the best way in. The robots were all oblivious of the intruder, patrolling through the perimeter lazily as if it was impossible to get some action those days.

Oh…how he wished to show them the contrary! But again he couldn't.

Because _he_ wanted to do this in _his_ way!

After a few minutes, the Mobian reached a more active part of the building. Massive cars were loaded with machines and robots before quickly leaving letting space for another one to come and begin its delivery to Chaos knew where.

He took cover behind some containers calculating the right moment for him to move without anyone noticing him. It soon came when a Mobian loading the trucks accidently dropped some very important piece that created a true commotion among everyone.

The masked figure took that as his cue to go and so he did. Silently he crept behind them before sprinting through the corridor and into the maze like factory. Everything was simple and clear in his head. He repeated to plan over and over again in his mind, simulated every action, trained hard so he could get use with the heavy steel boots after a tough recovery and finally there he was, getting the mission done.

There was nothing that could stop him!

His main objective was situated on the upper floors, most likely in the residential once and of course closer to the one in charge. For that he had to go up and what way better than the stairs. Knowing the elevators were crowded enough with others hard working employees he settled on not taking more of their space and take that route instead.

The road was way longer than he though and by the time he made it to the desired floor it passed like fifteen minutes or so. But it wasn't like the mission had a time limit anyway so he took some more minutes to rest before entering the hallway.

Unlike the white and gray walls of the factory beneath, the corridor in the residential area were a warm shade of red with a thick crimson carpet and windows adorning one side, each decorated with orange arrases tied with a golden ribbon.

The young Mobian raised an eyebrow at the view but shook it off right away starting to walk toward where he thought were the guest rooms. His ears perked up at any suspicious sound and he thanked Chaos the carpet muffled the sound of his boots. He gently fiddled with the scarf on his muzzle as his eyes darted from left to right and back and forth paying attention to everything around him.

That's when a sudden shush made him stopped death in his tracks. His ears twitched in the direction of the whispers and his stiff body slowly crouched in a defensive stance. With his left hand he reached for his back pockets, grasping some small metal balls and getting ready to throw them.

With a frown placed over his eyes, the Mobian stepped forward toward the corner. When he couldn't catch any more sounds he prepared to take a peek but his move was cut short when something green leaped in front of him quickly aiming a gun at his head. He stared for a few seconds in a deadly silence at the green hedgehog in front of him with wide open green eyes barely registering the fact that the other one was doing the same.

"M-Maneek? What eez eet?"

From behind the hedgehog came another Mobian, this time a brown furred coyote with blond hair and blue eyes. Manic slightly dropped the gun taking a glimpse at his companion.

"That would be a good question, 'Twan!" He looked again at the hooded figure taking in the dark orange anorak, loose black pants and brown scarf wrapped around his face letting only his green eyes to be seen. "Who're you, dude?"

The green eyed boy took a moment to snap out of his shock but quickly regained his indifferent posture. He stood up, now realizing he was still in the battle stance and put back the metal balls in his pocket raising to meet Manic's brown eyes.

"Name's Night!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Because you seemed to like this so much, I've decided to please you all and make another chapter. I'm actually thinking to make this a three-shot (does that even exist?) in order to finish this whole episode and then it'll be over. You can imagine the rest yourself! Ha!**

**You may have also noted that this story includes the Freedom Fighters and I need to tell you that the pairing in this one is SonicXSally. I honestly believe they are a great couple and if you don't like it then piss off! Find another fanfic to read!**

**Although there won't be any romance and lovey-dovey scenes just thoughts and the last chapter will be concentrated on Sonic so the others won't appear. Sorry for the ones who wanted more characters to appear, but this is the way I have imagined this thing and I won't change it.**

"speaking"

"_thinking"_

**Have fun!**

**P.S. : Hope I got the characters in character!**

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><p>"Night?"<p>

The one in question tilted his head in a small nod though it didn't seem to satisfied the green hedgehog. Manic didn't let down his guard as he watched the new comer through narrowed brown eyes looking for any signs that he was bent on causing them problems. From the other side, Night kept his gaze solely on Manic, his eyes not wavering in the slightest.

Antoine didn't dare to interrupt the exchange so he remained at observing the halls ready to signal if anything or anyone was coming. He was also having seconds thoughts about the masked Mobian, thoughts involving uncertainty and suspicion but anyhow he knew there was more to him than he let to be shown.

He couldn't put his finger on it but Night seemed oddly familiar and he was pretty sure Manic felt the same.

"Why are you here?" Manic questioned again. Night kept his silence making it quite obvious he wasn't going to answer which in turn caused the hedgehog to glare darkly at him.

"I do not believe zis eez the right place. If you are our friend zen let's leave Robotnik's base immédiatement!"

Night nodded flashing the coyote a grateful glance when the swish of opening doors suddenly stunned the trio. Manic opened his mouth to most likely curse but Night quickly grabbed both of them and rounded the corner getting out of the elevators line of vision.

"Hey, what do you – "

"Keep quiet!" Silently growled Night pushing the hedgehog down. The three stood crouched and glued to the wall hoping against hope that they wouldn't be discovered.

Antoine glared at the two for a second before turning toward the source of the noise trying to make out who or what was coming out of the elevator. His ears twitched catching the sound of metal brushing against metal indicating the approach of a robot. He gulped risking a glance at the other two.

Manic was frowning his fingers clenching and unclenching over the handle of his plasma gun while Night kept an impassive face (or at least that's what he could see). He whispered a 'What now?' and he was soon answered when Night searched through his belt beneath the anorak quickly taking out a small electronic device and handing it to Manic.

The hedgehog looked confused for a second before his face lightened in understanding. He smirked motioning to the coyote to follow and nodded to the Mobian still crouching. "For a stranger you ain't half bad!"

"Maneek?"

"Come on 'Twan! We're not getting out of here empty handed!" He glanced over his shoulder hesitantly like he was trying to make a hard decision and finally threw a thumbs up at Night. "Good luck man!"

The heavy steps of the robots got closer and more louder despite the carpet on the floor. Night shooed them away while getting on his feet and Manic and Antoine swiftly obliged running down the hall and toward the central point of the building.

Green eyes followed their retreating backs wishing nothing more than to follow them but his mind caught up in time to shake off the thought. He pushed a small button on the wrist watch attached to his belt and reached once again for the metal balls in his pocket.

With a sigh he got in a stance preparing for the moment when the robots would get in his vision. Not even a second later, a large silver machine turned the corner stopping in its tracks when seeing the masked Mobian in the middle of the hallway.

Night cocked an eyebrow and his mouth formed a smirk beneath the scarf. "Let's juice!"

Before the robot could comprehend what has just happened Night threw four small balls at him that exploded at contact, destroying the machine without a problem…

…beside the awful noise it did that most likely woke up the whole city.

"_Hmph…time to make a new name for myself!"_

Night rushed in the direction opposed to the one Manic and Antoine took hearing clearly the pounding of metal coming behind him. A computerized voice resounded in the air ordering him to stop and surrender but the Mobian ignored it continuing to run with the robots on his tail.

Seeing a crossroad coming up ahead Night slowed down his green eyes narrowing when another hoard of robots appeared aiming their guns and projectiles straight at him. He brought his pace to a halt and everything became quiet as both parties stood staring at each other.

And then, the same mechanized voice yelled the command: "Fire!"

The whole corridor brightened in red, yellow and blue streaks of light, the robots on both sides trying unsuccessfully to hit the Mobian in between. Night easily evaded and side stepped the shots with an impressive speed and agility getting as he did so closer to the robots in front of him.

With a battle cry he shoved his fist in the first one, crashing its circuits and used it as a ramp to jump in the air bringing his steel sole boots straight through another one. He ducked to the ground a barrage of beams feeling their heat passing in slow motion over his back and rolled sideways when a robot smashed it's foot in the floor.

Night leaped on his feet once again spinning for a roundhouse kick that completely threw off the robot's head making it crumble uselessly to the ground. He jumped backwards landing on his hands and spun his body hitting two robots at the same time and sending them in the wall in a heap of metal.

He returned to his mad dash aware of his pursuers that only grew in number. The masked teen glanced at the watch and frowned seeing it was still quite far and that he had to keep up the chase for a little bit more.

Fixing his gaze back ahead, Night jagged through the hall missing by inches the hot rays of the guns aimed at him. He leaped on the walls turning in the air and directed his kick at the robot in the lead. It exploded in tiny scraps offering the intruder a cover of smoke. The other robots pointed their guns at the cloud of black fume only to be greeted by a storm of innocent looking gray balls falling on them.

Night ran for it ignoring the explosion that shook the entire floor and went to the closest window which was suddenly blown to pieces by a dark green hover board. The Mobian grabbed the board and easily stepped on it before accelerating down the hallway.

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><p>"Maneek, would you hurry up!"<p>

"Dude, stop nagging me! I'm trying my best here!"

Antoine scowled gripping tighter the gun as he stood at the door while Manic was busy hacking into one of Robotnik's computers. Everything went well at the beginning but then the security started to tightened up and the firewall blocked most of the information. Even Manic with his born thieving skills and mechanical abilities wasn't able to enter the system quick enough to get more.

He growled in annoyance just when the floor suddenly started to shake and a big bang roared almost throwing the two to the ground in surprise. "Dude, what the hell was that?"

"I believe eet was our new friend!" Replied the coyote glancing out on the door.

Manic blinked. "Well, he sure knows how to pump a party!" The hedgehog turned his attention back to the computer and with a sigh he detached the device from it walking toward Antoine.

"Ready?"

"Nope…Couldn't get everything but I managed to save some things! Robotnik has one heck of a Firewall!"

Antoine nodded and they both sneaked out going toward the staircase. "Where do you sink Night eez?"

Manic shrugged cluelessly his answer being cut off when the sounds of guns and robots filled the silence of the corridor behind them. "If I think again, I'm pretty sure where he is!"

Swiftly turning the corner, Night flew on his board toward the two rebels slightly smirking at their shocked faces. He quickly grabbed their arms and pulled them on the hover board behind him not missing their surprised yelps.

"Hold on!" Manic was quick to comply placing his hands on Night's shoulders and Antoine grabbing the green hedgehog by his waist.

"Zis is madness!" Antoine yelled.

"This is Mobius!" Added Manic laughing freely.

Night smiled adjusting his scarf and bent his knees a little more making the board go even faster. A group of robots appeared in the front but he simply jumped over them earning the trio a rain of shots surrounding them.

"Maneek we're late!" screamed the brown furred coyote over the blasting noise.

The hedgehog grinned leaning on Night. "Go towards the stairs and on the roof! And do it fast man!"

Night nodded revving the board and turning around the halls until they burst through the doors of the staircase. The Mobian didn't hesitated a second and continued to maneuver the board on the railing and walls in order to reach the roof faster.

Manic yelled in joy receiving a glare from Antoine who was still clinging to his waist for dear life. Down beneath them, the robots caught up but they stayed at just shooting. Some of them flew in their pursuit but were blasted by the others, accidently of course, actions that caused Manic to boast excitedly.

"Ze Princess eez waiteeng for us with Tails." Antoine reminded glancing over his shoulder at the far away robots. Right away, Night felt his heart skip a beat and his fists clenched but he forced his muscles to relax and he took a deep breath in nodding.

"Oh yeah…we're almost out of this dump!" exclaimed the green Mobian with a victorious smirk.

Night sighed in relief and he accelerated the hover board once again literally flying to the last floor and stopping on the railing. He balanced the board to support their weight before he motioned for the two to get down just as the exit door was blasted open and in the threshold stood a chipmunk girl with brown fur and auburn hair that covered one of her eyes.

She halted at their sight still holding the gun ready to shoot as her deep blue eyes scanned the trio finally settling on the masked Mobian on the hover board balancing on the railing. For a moment she felt her body stiffen as her gaze fell on the other's stunning green eyes and her hands started to tremble slightly. It all stopped when Manic stepped between them holding his hands up defensively.

"Wait a sec, Sally. This guy's on our side."

Sally nodded numbly, her mind still working on the fact that she has just imagined everything and that what happened a few seconds ago was just a coincidence. "Are you sure, guys?"

"Zere is no time. We can stop somewhere else to discuss zis, no?"

She looked at the coyote sternly and he returned the gaze at the same intensity. Finally she agreed and put the gun back on her belt. "Very well, Ant! Let's go then, Tails is waiting with the X Tornado outside!"

Manic smiled. "Come on Night! We're gonna make a Freedom Fighter outta of ya!"

Sally's eyes hardened at the comment and she looked at the Mobian in time to see him shake his head and looked at them apologetically before leaning backwards and falling down the stairs. The sudden motion made the three run to the railing and look over the edge at the masked fighter.

"Dude!"

"Mon ami!"

Sally stood silent, gripping the bars and biting her lip. Her mind was racing again, being flooded with thoughts she tried to suppress for two months. A wave of anger and frustration hit her head on and out of the blue she turned on her heels and went out on the roof. "We don't have time for him! Let's go before more guards come!"

"But…"

"I commanded retreat! He chose not to come…his problem!" The yell made both boys jump in surprise and with some last glances they followed their leader towards the white plane waiting outside.

The moment his sky blue eyes landed on them, Tails sighed in relief and started the engine so they could get away faster. He opened the cockpit and the three jumped inside at the same time as the guards appeared.

"This is gonna be a rough take off guys, so keep tight!"

"Eet can't be worse zan ze ride wit Night!"

"Who?"

"Get us out of here first Tails!"

The two tailed fox noticed the sharp edge of the girl's tone so he gulped back any word he could have said and concentrated on getting off the building. The plane protected them from most of the hits but that didn't left out the fact they were shaken really good by the time they were in the air.

No other word was spoken on the way back to Knothole thing which irritated the young fox although in the back of his mind he was truly afraid of bringing up what had bothered the Princess so much…not only because he was scared of her reaction but because he was scared of his own. What if it was related to _him_?

Tails shook his head, getting rid of the grief that threatened to fill his heart and his eyes and fixed his stare on the stars adorning the sky. The pang of guilt and sorrow remained in his chest and unknown to him that was exactly what the girl behind him tried to fight off.

Sally squeezed her eyes shut until it hurt and gripped her chair until her knuckles turned white. Her body racked with silent sobs as the memories of so long ago sneaked in her torn mind. Her tense slender body leant back in the chair and she took greedy breaths feeding her lungs and slowing down her aching heart.

"_Why? Why can't I forget you?"_


	3. Chapter 3

**Yeah...so here it is...the whole episode! Hope I won't be convinced by somebody to continue it! Even if I kinda know what should happen next, I am not planning on making a full story out of this thing...but it has some potential! Meh! That's that I guess!**

**Hope I didn't ruin the action too much!**

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><p>A short human with only a few strands of hair growing on his mostly bald head stood alone in a chamber watching with narrowed eyes the screen in front of him. It showed the intruder still racing through the building on a dark green hover board, his agility proving to be no match for the robots he sent to catch him.<p>

He gritted his teeth in frustration before taking a more pensive look. His hand pinched his ridiculously pointed nose and he sighed knowing there was no other thing to do. His shoulder hunched in preparation as his hands flew on the keyboard contacting the one man he dreaded to see in that moment.

He waited for a few seconds before the monitor brightened revealing another human, this one being extremely fat, bald with an orange mustache and wearing a red and yellow attire. His eyes though were the most scary and the shorter man knew the best: they were black with crimson irises but in that moment his superior looked like he has just been woken up thing which was just as scary.

"How dare you wake me up at such an impossible hour you pathetic excuse of a nephew?"

Snively flinched. "Um…we've got a problem at the base in Robotropolis, s-sir!"

Robotnik rolled his eyes with a sigh. "What is it now?"

"An intruder freed the prisoners!"

"Well that isn't – WHAT!" The shorter man gulped watching his uncle's face reddening in anger. "HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE? WHO WAS IT, SNIVELY?"

"Um…I-I'll send you a image, sir!"

Snively quickly did what he said feeling Robotnik's cruel eyes boring into his skull. When he was done he waited for the other's answer which turned up to come in the form of a malicious sneer.

"Well, well…What do we have here?"

Snively blinked confused at his uncle's behavior. "S-Sir?"

"Is he still inside?"

"Uh…yeah! The SWAT-bots are chasing him as we speak!"

Robotnik nodded before turning his insane filled stare back at his nephew. "Snively, prepare the lock down. Don't let this wanna-be hero escape. I'll get there immediately!"

"Yes, doctor Robotnik!"

The conversation ended when the screen succumbed into blackness. Snively clenched his fists, glaring at the monitor with pure hatred in his eyes before commanding the complete shutdown of the building. The reason Robotnik looked so dangerously happy was a mystery to him but he was sure the last time he saw that weird sparkle in his eyes was when he returned and begun the battle with the Freedom Fighters once again…most specifically with Sonic the Hedgehog.

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><p>Night meanwhile was back in the fray after he had abandoned Manic and Antoine. Why he did that, he couldn't tell exactly. Maybe he felt overwhelmed at seeing the girl of his dreams or maybe it was just self preservation. After all he didn't want to put the others in danger with his reckless acts right? He decided to do this on his own…to have a new start even if it meant losing his friends.<p>

He was going to end the war that destroyed his home for more than a decade by himself…that after he escaped from Robotnik's base first.

After the stunts from before, the building's security system was fully activated. The robots weren't the only one after him anymore, improved and high tech weapons shot from the walls, cameras watched his every move not to mention the windows that started to seal themselves.

He felt like a cornered mouse running through a maze that he knew didn't have an exit. If only he would have left through the roof…

BANG

A growl escaped his throat when the wall next to him was blown to pieces, the stone and plaster raining over him. He redirected the board in time to not fall and avoided another shot that demolished the wall in front of him.

He turned the corner crouching on the board and speeding through the corridor frantically searching with his eyes the closest window. He cursed realizing he must have reached the centre of the building where the only windows were some of the partition walls. Shifting his feet on the board, Night managed to climb on the inwall and from there on the ceiling successfully ducking the barrage of robots gathered up ahead.

He took random turns, having no idea if they were going on the outer side or more deeper. For the time being he was more preoccupied with staying alive and not get caught. He was sure Robotnik has been announced by the havoc passing through one of his bases and he was sure to come to check for himself the situation.

Night wasn't looking forward to that fateful meeting.

He kept pushing the board to its limit taking care to avoid the blasts that might have damaged his only way of escaping. He scowled darkly at the swat-bot that appeared in his path and bent down jumping in the air and delivering a fast kick in its chest while the board kept going forward.

Night spun his body backwards using his leg that was still on the robot as an anchor. With a yell he threw his other one in its head and cart wheeled back on the hover board. The machine fell down with a thud, its lights slowly fading away, but the Mobian was long gone.

The masked rebel swiftly flew through the halls until his green eyes caught sight of an elevator. He pondered for a second if it would be safe to use it and finally decided that no, it wouldn't be safe but then again he was always the one to take risks. He changed direction and leaped inside pressing with all his might the button for the ground floor.

To say it was strange was an understatement. While the whole building was in a hurry-scurry looking for him, he was standing so untroubled in a spot where he could have been killed with no problem. Although, the best place to hide _is_ supposed to be the most obvious one you could think of and frankly it seemed to be true.

A beep indicated the elevator reached its destination. Night took a deep breath and prepared to jump on the hover board the second the doors would open. He went out without any troubles. Although he could hear the alarms screaming and the hard pounding of metal on the floors he cut them all off focusing his attention on any familiar thing.

The corridors were a cold and frightening steel gray and they spread in every direction like a cobweb. Of course they also gathered in a central point and that was the main factory, a place that Night was bent on avoiding at all costs. His eyes drifted on the blank walls as he swiftly passed by and for a second his eyes widened and he came to a sudden halt.

A large white double door was standing half opened at the end of a hallway and inside of it, it was Snively running hysterically around like there was no tomorrow. Night couldn't tell at what he was working but a very well known machine caught his sight causing his blood to boil in rage. He was on the verge on going in and destroy once and for all that accursed bunch of circuits that ruined the lives of thousands Mobians but his rational side took over reminding him there was no time to spare.

He stepped back on the board ready to take off when a cold metal hand gripped his arm throwing him in the wall with a deafening thud. Night groaned in pain falling on the ground and slowly lifted his gaze toward the robot which was aiming a firing gun at him. Just like it couldn't get any worse, Snively heard the commotion and rushed outside freezing in the doorway.

He sneered making the Mobian to glare in response. "Glad you could stop by, Mr. Intruder! Doctor Robotnik is very keen on meeting you!" Night continued to glare gradually picking himself up and clutching his aching side. "Escort our guest, TR-47!"

The robot lowered his gun instead aiming it at the hover board and blasted it to pieces before walking with heavy steps towards the Mobian. Night stood his ground quickly recovering after the sudden shock and ducked under its arm when it tried to grab him again. He attempted to get away by running behind the robot but the machine wasn't fooled as it turned around with its fist raised in the air.

The green eyed teen mentally cursed leaping backwards. Loud screeching made his ears twitched and he half turned to look at more swat-bots coming his way. He vaguely heard Snively snicker but he ignored it returning to his dash. He swiftly ducked under the first robot and kept going down the hall.

After many twists, Night finally reached the freeboard zone although many of the gates were closed except for one which was heavily guarded. Despite that, the Mobian zoomed straight ahead taking by surprise the bots, thing that gave him a few seconds to sneak between them. They soon started to shoot but Night took cover and easily blended in the shadows going for a hasty retreat through the dark alleys of the blocks around.

The fresh smell of the night was a bliss to his lungs and even if he felt tired he didn't plan on stopping until there were a few miles between him and that place. He slightly slowed his pace though and took off his boots with a sigh of relief at the sensation of their weight gone. In the next second he was running at full speed, whizzing through the city in nothing more than a blurred shadow.

He didn't stop until he went out of the city and towards the mountain range in the distance. Once there he reduced his speed to a jog and easily climbed the rocks in a secluded valley where a small house was.

Night carelessly threw his boots on a patch of grass beside the house and soon after his whole body. He closed his eyes trying to resist the burning feeling gathering in his chest and the throbbing pain in his back but it was to no avail.

"You overdid yourself, didn't you boy?"

Silent steps approached him, but Night didn't move. "Maybe!" He responded opening his green eyes to glance at the toad standing over him. "But I'm still in shape to kick old Ro_butt_nik's fat ass."

The old Mobian chuckled lightly offering his hand. "Your determination seemed to have returned, young Sonic!"

"Don't call me that, old geezer! Ya make me feel like a baby!" was the replied as the two clapped their hands together.

Sonic stood up on shaking legs with a gasp removing the hood and scarf and revealing his cobalt blue fur and quills. "I guess ya need to patch me up again, huh? Are your old joints up for it!"

"No need to worry about that, boy! Would you like some tea in the mean time?"

"That would be way past cool!"

The two entered the small hut, just as the sky brightened with the rays of the rising sun indicating the start of a new day and the beginning of a new journey.


End file.
